FILBo 2019: It’s my party

Even if you don’t make it to a single talk, it’s worth going to FILBo to stock up on books. Photo: FILBo

The guest of honour at Colombia’s FILBo 2019 is…ahem…Colombia.

It’s
FILBo o’clock. The annual book bonanza is back and this year we’ll see all the
usual talks, debates and presentations with fiction, non-fiction, children’s
literature, journalism, illustration and graphic novels all crammed into the
pages of Corferias.

FILBo
raised a few eyebrows by essentially inviting itself – or Colombia – as this
year’s guest of honour. In previous years we’ve seen France, Holland, Argentina
and even Macondo colour the event. This year, to mark Colombia’s bicentenary,
there will be a pavilion dedicated to Colombia itself. The pavilion seeks to
present the evolution of Colombia’s population and the way the Republic has
developed. The idea is to show the ways that Colombia has influenced the region
and the world – including Spain – and to look at what dreams the fledgling
Republic had two centuries ago.

Music,
food and the humble printing press all get a look in, and there’s even a
library focused on historic cultural events since independence. Don’t miss
‘Cumbia: The language that unites Latin America’ which looks at how the genre
has crossed a continent.

Colombia may be taking centre stage, but Latin American literature in general shines through. Especially with heavyweights like Mexican novelist Margo Glantz and leading lights like María Fernanda Ampuero from Ecuador and Chilean Alejandro Zambra.

Ampuero
was selected as one of the 100 most influential Latin Americans in Spain in
2012, and in 2007 Zambra was listed as one of Latin America’s most promising
writers in the Hay Festival’s Bogotá39 list.

With
more than 170 authors from 23 countries, the sheer volume of activities at
FILBo can be dizzying. So we sat down with the FILBo team to hear more about
some of the themes and literary luminaries to watch out for.

Reality: “Dreams of the world and of despair”

FILBo
always tries to reflect the world we live in, and spotlight literature which
puts reality into question. Literature of war, peace and dystopia is very much
in vogue, so there’s no shortage of speakers and topics. There’s Chilean Elvira
Hernández, whose poem ‘La bandera de Chile’ was a powerful anthem of
resistance to Pinochet’s dictatorship; author Reza Aslan who argues that
religious texts have been misappropriated, particularly by jihadists; and
Spanish writer and journalist Rosa Montero who will speak about a crisis of
democracy and a time of hatred. And, described as ‘Tinder meets Black Mirror,’
don’t miss the talk between Mónica Ojeda and Samanta Schweblin about the
darkness and pleasures of the internet.

Women: “Women who work for a better world”

Half
of the guests on this year’s programme are women and the agenda makes for some
interesting explorations of feminism and femininity. Chile’s Alejandra
Costamagna points out that we should talk about literature full stop – not
literature written by women – because the very differentiation is itself
discriminatory. Spanish author Paula Bonet tackles some of the taboos around
pregnancy and abortion, and Gabriela Cabezón Cámara relates her female gaucho
story.

Territory, planet and belonging: “This land to which we belong”

There’s
a host of discussions about climate change, land and animals, including French
literary big-hitter Jean-Baptiste del Amo whose novel Animalia
transports us to life in a pigsty. Horticulturist Carlos Magdalena, also known
as the Plant Messiah, will talk about our relationships with the species that
keep us alive.

LGBTI: “Celebration of Stonewall”

Marking
50 years since the Stonewall riots, there are a number of talks from the LGBTI
community discussing the struggle for equal rights. We can expect a dramatic
account from writer, performer and artist, Naty Menstrual, who says that we
focus too much on the deaths of trans people and not enough on their lives.

Poetry: “Poetry is the voice of everything”

Seeking
to make the genre more mainstream, poetry will have its very own pavilion and
some of the best poets in Latin America are scheduled to speak. The idea being
promoted is that we all have some poetry within us, so be prepared to connect
with your inner muse.

Bestsellers: “Passion for history, adventure and suspense”

It’s
not all heavy themes and high brow words; there’s also space on stage for a
couple of page-turners. Some of the English-speaking guests are on this list
such as John Katzenbach who wrote Just Cause and Hart’s War, and British
historical novelist, Edward Rutherfurd.

Children and youth: “Encounters of children’s and young people’s literature”

Literature
for young people has always been a dynamic and playful genre, and today there
are so many talented, thoughtful and colourful offerings that it’s hard to be a
grown-up. Try to catch Afonso Cruz, María Fernanda Heredia or Ana Alcolea. If
you are interested in the process of creation, listen out for Fernando Trujillo
and César García. The duo behind La prisión de Black Rock, La guerra de los
Cielos y La Biblia de los Caídos will speak about how they write
collaboratively. Plus Alexandra Christo from the UK with a disturbing take on The
Little Mermaid.

The
Leer con todos sentidos – Reading with all the senses – series continues
with a focus on reading for people with disabilities. This year, Spanish author
Emilio Ortiz will speak about his book, written from the point of view of a
guide dog, A través de mis pequeños ojos.

Phew.
And with that quick flick through some of the names and talks, we nearly failed
to talk about Lionel Shriver – one of the festival’s biggest draws. As with
many of the popular authors, you will need to get there early and queue as the
auditoriums fill up. Weekdays are obviously a lot less crowded, but even if
weekends are your only option, be sure to go. You won’t regret braving the
crowds.

All
in all, it will be a thought-provoking couple of weeks as well as a chance to
get some good deals on enough reading material to see you through until next
year.

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